The PSD faction put 12 questions to the Prime Minister to clarify statements by the former governor of the Banco de Portugal, Carlos Costa, both on the Banif resolution and on the removal of businesswoman Isabel dos Santos from BIC.
In the request, which the President of the PSD announced in Guarda on Tuesday evening and which Lusa had access to this Wednesday, the Social Democratic deputies Carlos Costa recently made – in the book “O Governador”, and in the presentation and interviews refer that followed – “statements of alleged political interference by the Prime Minister, António Costa, in the context of the removal of Angolan businesswoman Isabel dos Santos from the EuroBIC bank, as well as in expediting the resolution of the Banif bank”.
Following these statements, which he characterized as “false and abusive”, the Prime Minister has already announced that he will charge the former governor.
The PSD parliamentary group justifies the series of questions it directs to António Costa by deeming it “of paramount importance that a thorough investigation be conducted into the interactions between the Prime Minister and the former governor”. national interest” that the Head of Government “gives the necessary clarification as soon as possible”.
PSD delegates put four questions to António Costa “about the intervention in the process of assessing the suitability of Isabel dos Santos for the administration of EuroBIC”.
Firstly, if the Prime Minister confirms telephone contact with the then Governor of the Central Bank who approaches him regarding a possible decision by the Bank of Portugal on the suitability of Engineer Isabel dos Santos for authorization to perform duties in management of Banco EuroBIC”.
On the other hand, if in that contact he “expressed his disagreement about a possible non-recognition of the eligibility” of the Angolan businesswoman “because she is the daughter of a president of a friendly country or because he considers it inappropriate to do at that moment “.
“It was Vexa. Contacted by engineer Isabel Dos Santos and/or by Dr. Fernando Teles after the meeting they had with Dr. Carlos Costa and in which the assessment of the respective suitability for performing management functions in the Eurobic Bank?” They still ask.
In the case of a negative answer to this last question, the representatives of the PSD want to know how António Costa found out that Banco de Portugal “was busy evaluating the suitability of those people and that they seriously a decision of lack of suitability contemplated” and consequent refusal or revocation of the permit”.
The remaining eight questions to the Prime Minister are about the Banif resolution process, which is also covered in the book, starting with whether the PSD confirms that it has “contacted the European institutions (in particular the European Commission and the ECB)”, after taking office as Prime Minister, “to prepare the resolution or sale in a Banif resolution scenario”.
“It confirms that on the morning of 14 December 2015 it sent a written communication to the President of the European Commission and to the President of the European Central Bank stating that Banco Banif was in the ‘resolution process’ and/or in ‘Pre-resolution phase’? ” ask the Social Democrats.
The delegates also want to know if this communication was articulated with the Bank of Portugal and how to explain the reference to “a pre-resolution phase” of the bank, when “what was going on at the time was the sales process, in which there were were candidates and proposals, and the completion of which would have avoided the solution scenario”, at a much higher cost.
“How do you explain that at 10 p.m. on the night before the letter was sent, TVI reported information that coincided with what was contained therein and was believed to be known only to you and your government?”, Inquire.
The PSD bank also wants to know whether there was any contact between potential purchasers of Banif and the government before sending the letter and whether there was contact between the director of António Costa and DG Com of the European Union before sending the letter. Commission for sale at Banif.
“Your Excellency was informed by the then Minister of Finance, Mário Centeno [atual Governador do Banco de Portugal]that while the sale process was still ongoing and before any decision had been taken, the Minister himself contacted Banco Santander to negotiate the sale in the context of resolution and contacted the European authorities for support and viability of that sale when the competitive process of sale of resolution is in progress?” the PSD finally asks.
In Guarda, Luís Montenegro justified the option of sending these questions to the Prime Minister by saying that his party is not “one of those who propose parliamentary committees of inquiry for a week”, but without completely ruling out this tool in the future.
“Maybe we even have a parliamentary inquiry on this issue. I don’t know. But for now, today, we are addressing the prime minister with concrete questions,” he said.
Chega came in the parliament this week with a project for a possible parliamentary committee of inquiry to “investigate the possible interference of the prime minister in the autonomy of Banco de Portugal to protect the president of the president of Angola”, but who would need support having the PSD moves forward in a mandatory manner as it requires 46 signatures and the bank has only 12 deputies.
Source: DN
